Adventuring in Mutsu Bay

We drove and drove yesterday. We had a lot of fun. We didn't arrive at any of our destinations....there was a construction crew that wouldn't let us access Shipwreck Beach and a BAD storm that hit as we drove up to Cape Shiriya. Yes, we had lots of snow this a.m. Here are some photos of our "aimless" wandering.

Isn't this gorgeous? Mutsu Bay

From 2010-01-09

This huge pile of gravel...

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...turned out to be shells.

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I tried to tell Josiah that Japan was "just like Big Spring, TX - windmills"

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We stopped to make a picnic lunch by the bay in Noheji

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When we got back to town, we stopped by Miss Veedol Memorial Beach....

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Did I mention it was snowing? ::snort::

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My guys minus Jared

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My heart's desire is to find glass floats on the beaches while we're here. The family loves to tease me....taunt me...get my hopes up...only to dash them. ::snort::

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From 2010-01-09

Next, we headed to the Yakiniku house that Akiko recommends...but that's another post.

JOSIAH & JAMIN ARE HOME!
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.

~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Amusing Sign

This little sign would have been very helpful in the Tokyo airport. ::snort::

From 2010-01-08 Sannai-Maruyama Ruins

JOSIAH & JAMIN ARE HOME!
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.

~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Sannai-Maruyama Ruins

Today we ventured back to Aomori and visited the Joman remains at Sannai-Maruyama.

From 2010-01-08 Sannai-Maruyama Ruins

"For a period of over 1,500 years lasting from roughly 5,500 years ago to 4,000 years ago, there was a large scale Joman settlement at the current Sannai-Maruyama Site in Aomori City. The remains of over 550 Jomon period pit dwellings have been surveyed at the site so far. Remains have also been found of both an extremely large pit dwelling and a large structure built using pillars a meter in diameter. " This site is important as excavations have overturned long-held theories about the Joman lifestyle and technological skill. This is the largest such site in Japan.

This was very interesting. Everything was free. There is a nice museum, the site itself, a large picnic area (currently under snow), and an exhibit of things that have been excavated. In looking at the brochure I see that we barely scratched the surface of all we could have done. We plan to go back in the summer. Many of the "pits" were covered in snow. There was a LOT more snow in Aomori than there is down here.

From 2010-01-08 Sannai-Maruyama Ruins

From 2010-01-08 Sannai-Maruyama Ruins

English tour guides are available. They do have brochures with a bit of info in English. There is a 6 min video you can watch. We didn't. There are headsets that translate the video to English for rent. We planned to do it after we explored the sites...but by then we were ready to head home.

SOME of the many photos we took:

From 2010-01-08 Sannai-Maruyama Ruins

I am learning that one doesn't HAVE to stay housebound, if one learns to drive in this stuff. Better do that before Mike leaves in Feb. This makes one contemplate how COLD it must have been. WE think the homes here are poorly insulated now. ::snort::

From 2010-01-08 Sannai-Maruyama Ruins

From 2010-01-08 Sannai-Maruyama Ruins

From 2010-01-08 Sannai-Maruyama Ruins

Some dwellings were not meant for climbing inside, some were.

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DUCK! ::snort::

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Loved the roof decorations

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No entry but the hole in the floor.

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Zander HAD to taste the snow and the water dripping off the dwelling. "It taste's like bamboo!" ::grin::

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Longhouse

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Work in progress.
Stacia liked the Jewelry Exhibit

From 2010-01-08 Sannai-Maruyama Ruins

Jade Bead

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Another Bead/evidently clunky was in

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Ear Plugs

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From 2010-01-08 Sannai-Maruyama Ruins

For locals...GPS coordinates are N40* 48.51 E 140* 41.743.You can see directions here....I a map to go with these directions (google if this doesn't link). Toll is Y830 each way.

JOSIAH & JAMIN ARE HOME!
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Another Food Adventure

I try to pick up something new for the family to taste on each outing to our local stores. I try to choose something I think they'll like. The goal is for them to learn new things can be FUN; not always gross. ::snort::

Yesterday I picked up something that looked like pretzel sticks. I thought they might be sesame. I doubt they were sesame and they weren't pretzels. Sort of a baked short, stick.....a HOT and SWEET taste all at once. They're disappearing, so someone else thinks they're good. The writing is all in Kanji. I can't even provide a Romanji name for them.

This is the other item I picked up. I suppose I was fascinated by Aomori Nebuta and the pig hiney on the front.

From 2010-01-07 Tonomi Clan

Aomori is our prefecture. Nebuta, I couldn't decipher. Choco Crunch sounded promising.

Jared couldn't figure out Nebuta either.

From 2010-01-07 Tonomi Clan

We did find other writing on the side of the package. Buta Hana.

From 2010-01-07 Tonomi Clan

Ah, ha! Pig Snout...suddenly the logo becomes clear. Just as suddenly apprehension grows. I assured all. Surely there will not be a chocolate covered pig snout in the box. Some remembered タコのゆで団子, the octopus dumplings. ::snort::

From 2010-01-07 Tonomi Clan

So cute, surely NOT actual chocolate pig snouts.

From 2010-01-07 Tonomi Clan

A layer of chocolate, with rice mixed in, covered by an artistic layer that looks like a...well...pig snout.

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Some tried it right away...the younger two boys had to be manhandled into trying it....but it really was fairly tasty.

From 2010-01-07 Tonomi Clan

I lovingly cajole my reluctant eaters, "Try it, or next time it's the bag of fishies!" Gold fish have a whole new meaning over here. ::snort::

Nebuta - could it mean "the pig" or just another way to spell "pig"? I need to find better translators...the ones I'm finding on line don't seem to translate Romanji to English. Of course there are four alphabets in Japan - Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji and Romanji. ::snort::

JOSIAH & JAMIN ARE HOME!
Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.

~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...